Gravity Ball
Gravity Ball is a sport popular in the Rim as an attraction and association sport. It is also played on a limited scale in the Main Belt. Played within a cube between two thirteen man teams who compete to score points by placing a ball within the opponent's scoring area, it is considered space's natural successor to Earth's football (soccer). The playing field is arranged as a 100 x 100 x 100 m cube. Each team's scoring area is placed convex to one another (the relative bottom center of one wall and the relative center top of the opposite wall) and the game is played in freefall. The ball is approximately the same size as an Earth football. Teams Each thirteen man team is composed of four corner guards, one goalie, one home player, a quarter back, and six vectors. * Each corner guard can move only within a volume of space equal to making a cube by extending a line from their assigned corner to the team's home space; so 1/4 of the total play area. They cooperate with their team's goalie who is magnetized to the surface of the playing field. Together, they work to prevent the other team from scoring. * The quarter back begins each play with possession of the ball. Plays start when he either moves from his starting position or passes the ball to another one of his players. * The home player stays within a white square in the center of the adjacent square of the playing cube and fires soft projectiles at enemy players who are "in transit" (meaning not on one of the surfaces of the cube), meant to redirect their trajectory, or very rarely, alter the trajectory of the ball. * The six main offensive players called vectors can move anywhere within the cube to move the ball to score. Rules * Each game runs sixty standard minutes. Time is only run on the game clock during valid plays. * A play ends with a score or when the ball is "downed" (put to a solid surface) by a corner guard; then a new play is started with each offensive team in their starting zone and the ball where it landed. * If a play results in the ball being blocked by the goalie, a new play starts with the ball in possession of the team that blocked the goal. * If a play results in a goal being scored, a new play begins with each team in starting zones and the ball in the direct center of the playing cube. * Full contact is allowed to gain possession of the ball or prevent another player from gaining possession. * Points are scored by placing the ball within the opponent's scoring zone. * The team with the most number of points at the end of game time wins. Equipment * Each player has a set of magneboots controlled by a variable switch. This allows the player to gain traction, stay on one of the six surfaces, or accelerate/decelerate across the playing field. * Each player - except for the home player - also has a lance, a six foot pole with a net on the end similar to lacrosse and a buckler attached to their left forearm used to strike opposing players. Organization Two primary expressions of the game exist: United and Association. United Gravity Ball is governed by a democratic League based on Charon and has strict rules of play; plays may be stopped for fouls. Many United games are broadcast live throughout the Rim on radio and telecast. Association games have much looser rules of play, and may even involve house rules. They may be played with a varying number of players or by organized leagues throughout the Rim and Main Belt. Category:Culture